Second hand BMW Z4 - yah or nay?

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MrBuddha

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So a hypothetical question: would you consider buying a second hand Z4, one that is out of its maintenance plan from BMW and not being sold trough a BMW dealership?

Something like this for example: http://www.autotrader.co.za/used-cars/bmw/z4/2010-bmw-z4-sdrive30i-sports-auto-cape-town-fpa-8a81834d5042be70015046f56345225d/makemodel/make/bmw/model/z4/neworused/used/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/under-10-000/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/10-000-to-24-999/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/25-000-to-39-999/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/40-000-to-54-999/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/55-000-to-69-999/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/70-000-to-84-999/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/85-000-to-99-999/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/100-000-to-124-999/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/125-000-to-149-999/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/150-000-to-174-999/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/175-000-to-199-999/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/200-000-to-249-999
 
MrBuddha said:
So a hypothetical question: would you consider buying a second hand Z4, one that is out of its maintenance plan from BMW and not being sold trough a BMW dealership?

Something like this for example: http://www.autotrader.co.za/used-cars/bmw/z4/2010-bmw-z4-sdrive30i-sports-auto-cape-town-fpa-8a81834d5042be70015046f56345225d/makemodel/make/bmw/model/z4/neworused/used/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/under-10-000/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/10-000-to-24-999/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/25-000-to-39-999/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/40-000-to-54-999/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/55-000-to-69-999/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/70-000-to-84-999/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/85-000-to-99-999/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/100-000-to-124-999/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/125-000-to-149-999/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/150-000-to-174-999/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/175-000-to-199-999/carandcommercialpricerangeszar/200-000-to-249-999
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Nay!
 
That particular example is incorrectly advertised - it's an E85 that was maybe registered in 2010, but not built then as that's when the next gen would have been in production.

With the E85 Z4 you need to pay attention to whether it's an si or just an i (the example you posted is an si) as there will be a fairly substantial power difference - you definitely want to get the si variant.

In terms of maintenance - nothing crazy. The engines are pretty bulletproof and parts for the rest of the car are fairly readily available. It's also a very niche car so don't be afraid to negotiate the price down - they don't sell as easily as the other series.
 
nay, a MX-5 or GT86 maybe because they're japanese cheap and easy to fix.
 
If I had a few k in the bank for maintenance & could live with the restricted two seater layout I would def consider a good nic Z4.
 
Masataka said:
That particular example is incorrectly advertised - it's an E85 that was maybe registered in 2010, but not built then as that's when the next gen would have been in production.

With the E85 Z4 you need to pay attention to whether it's an si or just an i (the example you posted is an si) as there will be a fairly substantial power difference - you definitely want to get the si variant.

In terms of maintenance - nothing crazy. The engines are pretty bulletproof and parts for the rest of the car are fairly readily available. It's also a very niche car so don't be afraid to negotiate the price down - they don't sell as easily as the other series.
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Except the weak shock absorbers, the issue with the rims (cost 60k to a friend to replace them and BMW SA refuses to cover it even though they replace it for free in the US and UK). My friend's Z4 has spent roughly 4 months at BMW in a 16 months period and he will get rid of it in december.
 
Go ahead, just make sure you have a "rainy day fund" as chances are that something WILL break sooner of later, and it WILL cost you and arm and a leg (this is coming from a BMW owner)

Remember, this is a sports car and its going to be expensive to maintain. This is not a cheap daily runner, specially with that 3l straight 6.

For R250 000 you can probably get something a little better, and a little cheaper. Personal choice would be a S2000
 
f2wohf said:
Except the weak shock absorbers, the issue with the rims (cost 60k to a friend to replace them and BMW SA refuses to cover it even though they replace it for free in the US and UK). My friend's Z4 has spent roughly 4 months at BMW in a 16 months period and he will get rid of it in december.
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Shocks will cost you 6-8k which isn't much if you're willing to spend 200k on a car. Haven't heard about the issue with the rims, but surely if they fail you could get a different style for a bit of cash.

I personally don't like the car and would rather spend that money on an E46 M3.

Edit: I'm also not a fan of these GT86's and MX-5's - they feel extremely dead as daily drives.
 
Masataka said:
Shocks will cost you 6-8k which isn't much if you're willing to spend 200k on a car. Haven't heard about the issue with the rims, but surely if they fail you could get a different style for a bit of cash.

I personally don't like the car and would rather spend that money on an E46 M3.
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15k actually for the shocks at the dealership.

The alloy rims crack by themselves in normal use which lead last to one wheel being cracked over 2 cm in 7 spots but BMW SA refuses to acknowledge any wrongdoing (while the problem occurred twice in a year).

http://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-...es-class-action-settlement-cracked-z4-wheels/

It's an amazing car as long as nothing breaks, when anything breaks, it is usually ordered from Germany and takes 14 days just to receive the spares and the bill is hefty.
 
f2wohf said:
15k actually for the shocks at the dealership.

The alloy rims crack by themselves in normal use which lead last to one wheel being cracked over 2 cm in 7 spots but BMW SA refuses to acknowledge any wrongdoing (while the problem occurred twice in a year).

http://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-...es-class-action-settlement-cracked-z4-wheels/

It's an amazing car as long as nothing breaks, when anything breaks, it is usually ordered from Germany and takes 14 days just to receive the spares and the bill is hefty.
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Lol, why would you get them from the stealership unless you're in plan, in which case, you're not paying. You can get better than stock shocks for 6-8k.

BMWSA rarely do any of the recalls that are done overseas so I'm not surprised - if I really wanted the car I'd just put 8-10k aside for replacement rims.

It's definitely a fun car to drive, but like anything second hand and performance oriented, you'll have to budget for problems.
 
f2wohf said:
15k actually for the shocks at the dealership.

The alloy rims crack by themselves in normal use which lead last to one wheel being cracked over 2 cm in 7 spots but BMW SA refuses to acknowledge any wrongdoing (while the problem occurred twice in a year).

http://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-...es-class-action-settlement-cracked-z4-wheels/

It's an amazing car as long as nothing breaks, when anything breaks, it is usually ordered from Germany and takes 14 days just to receive the spares and the bill is hefty.
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The wheel in the article is only found on the e89 and not on the e85 that the OP has asked about btw
 
Masataka said:
Lol, why would you get them from the stealership unless you're in plan, in which case, you're not paying. You can get better than stock shocks for 6-8k.

BMWSA rarely do any of the recalls that are done overseas so I'm not surprised - if I really wanted the car I'd just put 8-10k aside for replacement rims.

It's definitely a fun car to drive, but like anything second hand and performance oriented, you'll have to budget for problems.
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The one I know and drove a few times is still under motor plan so that's why. The performance of the car is amazing, however the quality and reliability are totally down the line.

I forgot two other more minors issues I've experienced, the hardtop electronics are a complete mess, you end up with the windows completely opened and impossible to close or the opposite and often have to try 4/5 times and restart the car a few times to get it working properly (nothing wrong according to BMW again).

The sound system is very fragile as well and of poor quality, not what you would expect on a 800k car.
 
rodga said:
The wheel in the article is only found on the e89 and not on the e85 that the OP has asked about btw
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Sorry, my mistake it's the 296 rim which is effectively only on the e89 (I thought it was common to both).
 
I would go for it, but get a warrantee with it as well, not sure how much this will cover, but better to have it than not. Better than nothing. Also you know what the risks are, some people will get dud BMW's - which will give problems often, other people get one that just runs and runs and never gives up. It's luck of the draw.
 
Sjoe, thanks for all the inputs so far!

I am at this stage a bit clueless about how Z4s are maintenance wise etc.

Reason is for maybe getting a Z4 is that I really like the shape/look of the car.

So, it also seems that a z4 is either going to be a dud with problems or a great can't die car.

I will have to ponder it some more then...
 
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